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Please see the link to the right entitled "Success Matrix Revision 10.26.07" for the complete version of the original Success Matrix. It will also be emailed to everyone on the CPATH distribution list, along with the diagram shown in the previous post. Please enter your ideas as comments to the posts on the blog. A brief summary of the Advisory Board meeting is also under Meeting Notes.

2
comments:

Mission: Think we all agreed the top priority here is reflective of the CPATH language: Help strengthen a US workforce with the computing competencies and skills imperative to the nation's health, security and prosperity in the 21st century.

With the vision set, I'd like to see us think how we could create goals or initiatives in our neck of the woods to help fulfill the vision. Kind of think global/national and act local/regional. So goals could be:

1. Help improve the quality of computing education regionally

2. Attract more people regionally

3. Strengthen interdiscipline connections regionally

4. Meet human infrastructure needs regionally

Then strategies flow from there.

For Goal 1, strategies could be (and this is pure thinking outloud):

-Create regional computing edu task force with 4-year, community colleges and high school profs-Take that task force and study national/global models where computing edu has high marks and track record of success-Study other approaches-Make recommendations on building model that would accelerate development here regionally

-Goal 2:

-To attract more locally, launch fullblown marketing campaign-Get to kids early-Pump up what computer science edudation gets you in life in real, concrete terms, ie, cool toys to work on, good wages, etc.-USE THE INTERNET to promote all this, both virally, socially, push every available button

-Goal 3: To strengthen connections, set up regional computing science council with private biz, all ranks of edu, state officials involved. Connecting deeper with biz and showing them something will actually be accomplished is key.

-Goal 4: Again, tap into private biz to see what's needed. Help tailor cirriculum to meet local employer needs without sacrificing basics. Set up ROP/intern-type programs for hands on experience. Host guest lecture circuit, field trips, sharing days-Tap into the Web!

-use connections established in this goal to create a shared tool set that allows all participants access to others work.

Strategy for Goal 2.

-Increase the level of education which is necessary to become a successful person in computing. At the middle school level this would require increasing the level of students mathematical skills. At the high school level this would require to increase the level of students mathematics, logic/abstract/critical thinking, and start them on basic computing/coding skills.-create programs/events/contests that would get kids excited and working in the area by partnering up with local industry.